February 15th, 2012 – Balakhabar reports that on the evening of 25 Bahman [Feb 14th, 2012], in a televised interview with BBC Farsi, Ardeshir Amir Arjomand, senior adviser to opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi reiterated that given the desired response to the calling by the Coordination Council for the Green Path of Hope for Iranians to participate in a silent rally on the 25th of Bahman, further programs designed to express opposition to the current conditions will continue.

Amir Arjomand continued: “Despite the heavy presence of security forces in cities such as Kermanshah, Shiraz, Esfahan and Tehran and the extensive pressure and threats, the presence of citizens in the streets was nevertheless solid. A number of gatherings took place in Tehran with reports of clashes between the protesters and the security forces present.”

Amir Arjomand added: “The heavy presence of security forces across Iran only further demonstrates that the Green movement is alive and well. Given the current circumstances it is therefore the duty of each and every one of us to keep the voices of the opposition movement alive.”

Amir Arjomand pointed out that the ruling government of Iran should be aware of the fact that the right to protest is the basic right of every Iranian citizen. He added that given that the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has publicly supported the rights of the citizens of other countries to protest , it should first and foremost respect this right when it comes to its own citizens.

In conclusion while warning the ruling government, Amir Arjomand stated: “If the ruling government would like to avoid a fate similar to that of Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria, it must ensure that free and fair elections (without Approbative Supervision) take place immediately. If they do not come to their senses and continue to deny peaceful opposition forces the right to pursue their demands within the context of the law, the time will come when it will be too late to listen to the complaining voices of our nation.”